Top Chef...w/ spoilers!

Am I the only one watching Top Chef anymore? I don't think this season is as bad as some of my friends say it is, the personalities are maybe not as wild as last season but this year's contestants definitely have more skill overall. The episode tonight was an All Star battle against former season's Top Chef contestants and guess what, this year's crew beat them out in the end sorta proving that point. Stefan is going to win Season 5 and his asshole-ness is great stuff to watch. When Carla won the challenge and walked into the 'waiting room' where Stefan (a loser for the first time) was waiting and says she won very excitedly, Stefan says "No fucking way." in his signature, fake-surprised-mocking sorta way it made me almost fall out of my chair I was laughing so hard. Fabio should have probably went home for over-cooking his food but he, like Stefan, have overall put out better food than Jeff so maybe that's why they sent him home. Jeff was definitely a more skillful chef than a couple others still in play but having a technical or very refined skill set doesn't mean anything if the food doesn't taste very good. The judges say that they grade each challenge without memory of previous perfomances as a factor is such bullshit after this episode I have to say because if that was the case, Fabio would have been booted. I like Fabio though so whatever, I really wish I had his accent because its so cute! The way he says "my mama" in this episode is so adorable I just want to pinch his cheeks.

The only negative I have about this season is this joke of a British judge and his stupid comments that he probably thinks are hilarious. Please don't bring him back next season Bravo, thanks.

Ice...Ice...Baby...

It was freezing last night, literally. Billy had just finished his first day at his new work only to spin out his truck on the way home last night O_O

I also had a brush with potential death when I nearly fell down the icy stairs of our apartment going to work last night.

He's safe because he was lucky, it could have been a lot worse. Anyway I'm going to have to take him to and from work for awhile until he can get a paycheck to pay for his truck damage or more importantly his tags and insurance, etc that is expired.

How did it get to this?

We still have so much to move and I don't know yet if we can rely on his truck now...

So much for the year of the Ox being lucky for Billy, sigh.

Another One...

Three posts in one day is a lot I know but since I have the pictures ready and everything why not? I'm overdue on a lot of these anyways and I swear I'll start updating these a LOT faster but to get on with it--this what I've eaten most recently!

ROAD RUNNER'S BURGER DELI
I don't know what took me so long to get here but ever since I went on the 13th I've been back there at least 2 other times, hence the 3 photos here! They are that damn good.

This image is a little misleading as the Club Sandwich is HUGE, it has 3 texas toast layers in there with 2 cheeses, 2 meats, and even a fried freak'n egg.

Tumbleweed Burger (or was it the Cactus?) w/ Jalepeno Cheese Bun. The waffle fries are THE best in San Angelo, no competition at all there as is their beer battered onion rings--you can TASTE the beer in 'em.

I think this was the Bison Burger w/ Waffle Fries that I got when I went with Thinh. It tasted just like a regular beef burger to me, and I could tell that it wasn't hand-made like their other burgers so it was alright but not amazing. Props to them being the only ones in town offering it though.

This post isn't really a proper review for Road Runner's but I'll just go ahead and proclaim them the new king of burgers for this town and you shouldn't eat anywhere else when you think of burgers from now on that's how serious I am about them. They are superior to Big Burger and Charcoal House in many ways and that is saying enough trust me. Don't forget to use those phone book coupons too, it saved me $1.50 on each visit and that's like laundry money people!

And Speaking of...

Not only is Chinese New Year awesome because I get free money in little red envelopes, but the food is GREAT! Mom makes a traditional chinese (well Taiwanese) dinner with at least a half dozen family sized plates of yummy goodness that my camera phone does no justice to whatsoever! I need a REAL camera if I'm going to keep taking pictures of food as often as I do...


Steamed tilapia and catfish with a sweet fish sauce on top.

Stir fried tofu with green peas, onions, and ground turkey.

Chow mein of ground turkey, onions, cabbage, and other good stuff.

Spring Rolls! Crispy and delicious, I could eat a dozen of these easy.

Assorted stir fried veggies, chop suey really.

This is one of my favorite Taiwanese dishes ever, I only know it as "Lo Ba"(sp?) but its basically a 3 hr slow cooked pork butt in some soy sauce and chinese rice wine and 5 spice to make a freak'n good fall-apart in your mouth taste of heaven if there is such a place there certainly will be this stuff there. Mom adds hard boiled eggs into the mix so that it soaks in the yummy flavor and gets this cool brown color added to them.

Dinner was fantastic and I have to say it's because I helped mom make some of it, lol. But seriously, I will die a terrible death if I don't at least memorize that Lo Ba dish and pass it on because it is too incredibly awesome to let it go to the grave with my mom...not that that will happen anytime soon hopefully, I love you mommy! ^_^

**P.S. I'm not sure why ground turkey was used so much but I think its because my mom is on this whole eat healthier because-I-have-high-cholestrol thing so we cut out the beef this time but it still was pretty good.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Okay so I know it was yesterday, but hey it doesn't change the fact that its officially the Year of the Ox now and according to trusty ol' Wiki here is what an Ox brings...

"The Ox is thought to be the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.

Ox people, according to tradition, need peace and quiet to work through their ideas, and when they have set their mind on something it is hard for them to be convinced otherwise. An Ox person has a very logical mind and is extremely systematic in whatever they do, though they have a tremendous imagination and an unparalleled appreciation for beauty. These people speak little but are extremely intelligent. When necessary, they are articulate and eloquent.

Traditionally, people born under the influence of the Ox are thought to be kind, caring souls, logical, positive, filled with common sense and with their feet firmly planted on the ground. Security is their main preoccupation in life, and they are prepared to toil long and hard in order to provide a warm, comfortable and stable nest for themselves and their families. Strong-minded, stubborn, individualistic, the majority are highly intelligent individuals who don't take kindly to being told what to do.

The Ox, it is thought, works hard, patiently, and methodically, with original intelligence and reflective thought. These people enjoy helping others. Behind this tenacious, laboring, and self-sacrificing exterior lies an active mind.

The Ox, according to tradition, is not extravagant, and a modern interpretation of this is that the thought of living off credit cards or being in debt makes them nervous. The possibility of taking a serious risk could cause the Ox sleepless nights.

Ox people are truthful and sincere, and the idea of wheeling and dealing in a competitive world is distasteful to them. They are rarely driven by the prospect of financial gain. These people are always welcome in small gatherings because of their humble composure and reverent nature towards the host. They are reputed to be the most beautiful of face in the zodiac. They have many friends, who appreciate the fact that the Ox people are wary of new trends, although every now and then they can be encouraged to try something new. People born in the year of the Ox make wonderful parents and teachers of children.

It is important to remember that the Ox people are sociable and relaxed when they feel secure, but occasionally a dark cloud looms over such people and they engage all the trials of the whole world and seek solutions for them."
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Billy is an Ox and I have to admit that about 90% of those descriptions are true when applied to him so this can only be good news for him since this is supposed to be his year and that can only mean good things hopefully for 2009!

Bond.

I had a dream yesterday that I was playing basketball with Daniel Craig.

Only 12 Days Left!

We're just less than two weeks away now from moving out of the place Billy and I called home for over two years, TWO years! That's the longest I've ever stayed in one place that didn't belong to mom and dad...

I was never too crazy about the space, a lot of stuff was really old, the dishwasher never worked right, water bugs were in the bathroom ALL the time, water leaks. Upside? Very affordable living, we paid only $600 ABP and had central AC which was nice, and for the first year it was actually $560 before they jacked it up a bit this last summer so that wasn't too bad for a 2 bdrm/1 and a half bath! I've been doing some internet research for apartments in ABQ and places for $600 only gets you 1 bdrm at best so I guess this means goodbye to a good deal.

Now I'm looking at storage units and the one right next to us seems good enough and at $43 per month for a 10x10 probably is a good deal right? We won't have to drive far at all to get to it from the apartment so that's a plus but $43 x 6 months = $275 (est) isn't bad considering we're not paying any rent for the same amount of time.

We'll be busy packing all week long since I don't want to wait until the last minute like we did at our old place so sorry in advance if I can't hang out for awhile. I'll give you guys a call (you know who you are!) when everythings settled so until then, I'm not going to be available!!!

Sunday Champs

I knew it would be a coinflip going into the Ravens and Steelers game but I was suprised how close it really was for the Cards and Eagles game. I thought the Eagles would take care of business down there and move on but nope, looks like the Arizona Cardinals are going all the way this year! I like the Steelers a lot but the Cards have proven every week during the playoffs that they are the better team no matter what the spread was against them. They are basically last year's Giants, the underdogs, and that's why my money is on the Cards to win this year. Cards will get like +3 or +4 help from the sportsbook so that'll be just perfect since I don't think they'll even need it.

Final Superbowl score:

Cardinals 21
Steelers 17

NEW YEAR 2009

I'm too lazy to write about what I did in 2008 here in summary form but I am very excited to write about what will happen in 2009, for example...

Obama getting sworn into office on Tuesday...

Plane crash where everyone lived (oh wait, happened already)...

Moving back home in February, yes this sucks but at least I can save until...

The big move to Albuquerque, NM this summer!

I should include Austin's Ikkicon or maybe a promise about losing more weight but I'm not going to make those kind of decisions just yet--not when I still have "The List" to finish. Ikkicon is looking bleaker by the day but we'll see soon enough whether Austin wants me there or not by next week.

Until then folks, "Row Row Fight Da Power!"